AROUND D.C.

Friday, November 7, 2008 4:10 PM

Former Chiefs Of Staff Weigh In On Emanuel

By MARY GILBERT

The Brookings Institution kicked off a series of talks on the transition process with a panel discussion this morning featuring former White House Chiefs of Staff Kenneth Duberstein and Leon Panetta. The two discussed the challenges facing President-elect Barack Obama as he turns from campaign mode to the task of government, as well as his first big staff appointment -- Rahm Emanuel.

Panetta -- who took over as Bill Clinton's chief of staff in 1994 -- and Duberstein -- who worked in the Reagan White House, including as COS in 1988-89 -- both had abundant praise for Emanuel. Calling him "very disciplined"  and "a very hard worker," Panetta insisted that the Illinois congressman has the qualities necessary to get things done. He also pointed out that, while Emanuel has gained a reputation as a partisan Democrat on the Hill, that is mainly because his current position in the leadership team requires him to toe the party line. In reality, Emanuel is a centrist, Panetta claimed, and understands that the Democrats must govern from the center to be effective.

Duberstein went on to stress that the chief of staff position requires the ability to say no, even to the president's most important constituents, and must be able to deliver news that the president needs but does not necessarily want to hear. He called Emanuel "exceptionally qualified" to fill both of these roles.

The former Reagan staffer joked about the 3 a.m. TV ad (subscription) put out by Hillary Clinton's team during the primary race, pointing out that if the phone really did ring in the middle of the night, it would be the COS -- not the president -- answering the call. "I trust Rahm" to handle that situation, he said. Finally, Duberstein added that the disciplined and systematic way that the Obama transition team has rolled out its first appointments sends a positive message about the president-elect's readiness to govern after a long and grueling campaign.

Moving on to strategy decisions that must be made by the new president, both men stressed the importance of picking one or two key priorities to focus on during the first 100 to 200 days in office, and both agreed that the economy has to be Obama's No. 1 priority. "You don't want to start out on the wrong issue," Panetta explained, citing Clinton's push on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Duberstein cited Ronald Reagan as a good example for Obama to follow. During the transition period, Duberstein said, Reagan decided that passing an economic recovery package would be his major focus during his first six months. Before he even took office, he sent people to the Hill to reach out to House Democrats. Ultimately, he was able to win 63 Democratic votes on the first bill he sent to Capitol Hill, enhancing his political capitol and allowing him to then turn to other prized initiatives. Reagan was successful, Duberstein maintained, because he started early, set a clear goal and put the right people in the right places to make things happen.